1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method of playing a card game, and more particularly to a method of playing a modified version of Twenty-One, (also known as Blackjack) wherein the player is able to play single or multiple hands against the dealer in either a video, computer game or an actual human game. The game of the present invention can be played in a casino as a card game or a video slot machine. Alternatively, it can be played on a computer and/or as an on-line gambling game over a Wide Area Network such as the Internet, as part of a Local Area Network (“LAN”) or on a stand-alone computer.
2. The Prior Art
The objective of “Twenty-One” is to have a hand where the sum of the value of each card comes as close as possible to the number twenty-one, without exceeding it. The game is typically played by one or more players against a house or dealer with the player making a wager on the outcome. The player's hands which are less than or equal to twenty-one, and exceed the value of the dealer's hand are the winning hands. Losing hands are all hands, which have a lower sum than the dealer's hand and all hands that exceed the sum of twenty-one (called a “bust”). Tying hands resulting in no bets won or lost (called a “push”) are possible in the game of Twenty-One. A 2-card hand totaling twenty-one is called “Blackjack”.
The conventional method of playing Twenty-One involves one or more standard decks of playing cards, with each card worth its face value (Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10), except Aces, which are worth either one or eleven depending on which is most beneficial to the count of the hand. The dealer starts the deal by dealing two cards to each wager. The dealer also deals two cards to himself or herself. One of the dealer's cards is dealt face up (called the “up card”) and the other card is dealt face-down (called the “down card”).
A player may draw additional cards, known as “hitting”, in an attempt to try to beat the count of the dealer's hand. However, if the player's hand exceeds twenty-one, then the player has “busted”. The player can “stand” on any count of twenty-one or less. Once the player “busts”, his or her wager is lost regardless of whether or not the dealer “busts”. Each establishment has “house rules” which govern how the game is to be played, and in particular, when the dealer must “hit”. House rules can vary from establishment to establishment or game to game. Usually, the dealer must “hit” when he or she has less than seventeen. Some house rules require that a dealer hit when the dealer has an Ace and a six (or multiple cards adding up to six), known as a “soft” seventeen (because an Ace can have the value of either eleven or one). Normally a dealer must stand on a “soft” eighteen, nineteen or twenty.
If the dealer “busts”, the player wins, regardless of the player's hand, unless the player has “busted”. If neither the player nor the dealer “busts”, then the closest hand to twenty-one wins. If a player's hand ties that of the dealer, it is called a “push” and the wager is not lost. Instead the bet is credited back to the player.
“Doubling down” is the procedure of a player doubling his or her original bet after his or her initial 2 cards are dealt, and then drawing a single additional card. In many gaming establishments the house rules restrict this option, often allowing it only if a player's first two cards total ten or eleven. The three-card total becomes the player's hand.
“Splitting” is the procedure of splitting a pair of cards dealt to a player's hand into two hands, by making an additional wager equal to the original wager. One of those wagers is applied to each of the split hands. The player receives a new second card for each of the split hands and each hand is then played out separately. When “splitting” Aces, the player can usually receive only one additional card for each split hand, depending on the house rules.
“Insurance” is a procedure that is available when the dealer's “up card” is an Ace. After each player receives his or her first two cards and the dealer reveals his or her “up card”, the player can wager one-half of the amount of his or her original wager as “insurance” against the dealer having a “Blackjack” (a two-card twenty one count). If the dealer has “Blackjack”, the player loses the original wager and wins 2-to-1 on the insurance bet. On the other hand, if the dealer does not have a “Blackjack” the player loses the insurance bet and the round continues with respect to the original bet.
“Surrender” varies according to house rules, but when allowed, permits the player to forfeit one-half of his or her bet after the player's first two cards are dealt and evaluated against the dealer's “up card”.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,429 to Le Vasseur discloses a “21” game wherein the player plays a single hand against multiple dealer hands. If the player is dealt a bad hand, he or she is likely to lose multiple hands, which could be less interesting than playing multiple player hands, at least some of which could be good hands.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,915 to Groussman discloses a “21” game whereby the player plays two hands against the dealer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,335 to Moody discloses a “21” game wherein a player plays two or three hands against a dealer and each hand is wagered separately and in a card by card fashion.
Hence, conventional Blackjack games are usually limited as to the number of hands, which can be played by a single player at the same time. This is because in conventional Blackjack, the number of player decisions required increase in proportion to the amount of hands played. Therefore a player attempting to play a large number of hands simultaneously in conventional Blackjack would be overburdened with decisions, causing the play to be very tedious and impractical. Hence, assuming that the maximum bet is placed on every hand, the number of hands that can be played at a time thereby limits the amount that can be wagered in a particular amount of time. Accordingly, such limited number of games can have a tendency to become less interesting to the player over time. Moreover, the revenues generated for the casino or establishments are somewhat limited by the number of hands which can be played by a player at the same time.